(AP Photo)

April 15, 2009

"The people who hired me here, they know what they hired me to do. And if in three years they're going to judge me over six, seven, eight games or whatever, that's up to them. I really don't worry about that, because I'm going to get a job if it's not here." (Manny Acta, via Nationals Journal, 4/14/2009)

Dead Manny Walking?

You wouldn't be worried either, if you knew the Wilpons had a job waiting for you in NY next year.

(Photo by Getty Images)

April 14, 2009

"We've all seen the struggles that he's had adjusting to the new spot in the batting order and adjusting to being a centerfielder in the big leagues. That was the reason we sent him down."(Mike Rizzo, via Nationals Journal, 4/14/2009)

LAAAstings: Set up to fail.

Nats exile Lastings Milledge to AAA Syracuse. These days, you just can't afford to scuffle for 7 games? Let's face it, attitude "issues" aside, the Nationals are responsible for setting up Lastings Milledge to fail; and Mike Rizzo's stated "reason" for the demotion is completely disingenuous.

Pssst! Hey Mike, here's a hint: He's not a leadoff hitter, and he's not a centerfielder. Mystery solved!

If you want to take the pressure off, here's an idea--let him bat seventh in the order. If he's struggling with learning to hit and play centerfield at the same time, how about this idea: let him play left field once in a while. How many games did we watch him struggle in center last year while Willie Harris made play after play in left?

OK I'll grant you that they gave the Dukes-Milledge-Dunn OF plenty of time to succeed. I mean, they put that lineup out there in two non-consecutive games. Two! And sure the Nats scored 5 and 8 runs respectively in those games, but did they win? No sir, they did not.

But no doubt this move has very little to do with on-field performance, and everything to do with sending a message (like Boz hinted with Nostradamus-like precision in his column earlier this morning) about L-Millz's attitude. Want to send a message to an immature kid young man? Bench his ass for a few games. But send him down to AAA? Hmmm...seems a little extreme. Meanwhile, we all know Manny is a Milledge guy...and sources with no knowledge of the situation say Rizzo's not a Manny guy...should be an interesting next couple of weeks.

By the way: who the f*#k is driving this clown car we call the Washington Nationals, anyway? Rizzo? Kasten? Mark Lerner?

Manny sticks with Saul in the seventh, and you know the ending.

(AP Photo)

April 12, 2009

"The good news is, I know stuff like that changes. We're out there and everybody is playing hard, which is obviously a plus. I can safely say that nobody is not playing hard, because they are. The effort is there."(Adam Dunn, via Nationals Journal, 4/12/2009)

April 10, 2009

"It's kind of an excuse to say that it's only the third game, but we had a chance to win [Wednesday's game], and we let it slip. [The entire series] was awful. It's not how we wanted to start our season. The only thing we can do is put it behind us and clear our minds."(Adam Dunn, via Nationals dot com, 4/9/2009)

Time to put away the panic button, while wishing for a reset button.

Okay, okay: 0-3 start, and it's been downright ugly. But the best thing about off-days is that the Nationals don't lose, so there's ample time to take Adam Dunn's advice and put it behind us AND clear our minds.

Strasburg (7-0), whose fastball topped out at 99 mph, allowed one earned run and seven hits over six innings. He walked one and struck out 13, the seventh time in eight starts that he registered double-digit strikeouts.

The Prez Snubs Nats.

According to a White House aide, Obama will decline the team's invitation to throw the pitch in the game against the Philadelphia Phillies, brushing back a presidential tradition that dates back to 1910.

According to anonymous sources with no knowledge of the situation, Obama staffers were concerned about the effect the Nats' awful 0-3 start to the season might have the President's approval ratings if he accepted the invitation.

Here's what you can't say if you're the president of a Washington pro sports franchise: Please, pretty please, Philadelphia fans, come to D.C. on Opening Day because we can't sell out our almost new ballpark in Year Two. We've got Phillies hats in our gift shop. We promise to be nice (even if you boo the Nats). Just bring your wallets.

Why can't you say that? It's true: "We" can't sell out "our" almost new ballpark. The empty seats are simply extra inventory (to use Mike Rizzo's favorite term, but here we're talking about cold hard seats, not warm bodies). Sell, sell, sell! We'll just have to cheer a little louder to drown out the unwashed Philadelphians.

Here at the Nationals Enquirer, we don't have a problem with Stan's pitch. Until the Nats field a winner, the reality is that Nationals Park will be a prime destination for opposing team's fans.You might as well lay out the Welcome mat. Welcome Home Phillies fans!

No matter what you do, Stan: please don't issue an apology. It really isn't necessary.